Colliding Worlds and Iberian Empires in the Americas and Settlers in the Colonies (665-675)

Colliding Worlds

• Indigenous people were the Tainos
  • Also known as Arawaks
  • sailed from Orinoco River valley (South America) to Caribbean Islands. Settled by 900 CE
  • Lived in small villages where chiefs were authorities
  • Interested in glass, beads, and metal tools that Spanish mariners brought to trade
  • Showed little resistance to European visitors.
• Spanish Arrival
  • Columbus and followers made the island Hispaniola base of Spanish operations in Caribbean.
  • Columbus built the fort of Santo Domingo, capitol of the Spanish Caribbean.
  • Original plan was to build forts and trading posts, but the region offered no silks or spices for European market.
  • Settlers wanted to mine gold, but did not want to do it themselves, so most miners were Tainos.
  • Encomienda:an institution which gave Spanish settlers the rights to force Tainos into labor.
    • In return for the labor, they were responsible for the workers' health and welfare, as well as encouragement of their conversion to Christianity.
  • Tainos organized rebellions, but their weapons had little effect against Spanish forces.
  • 1515: social disruption and physical abuse brought decline to Taino populations.
• Smallpox
  • After 1518, devastating epidemics of smallpox reached the Caribbean also brought decline to Taino populations.
  • To replace laborers lost to disease, the Spanish started kidnapping other Tainos to work
  • 1492: Population 4 million. 1540s: Population of a few thousand.
• From Mining to Plantation Agriculture
  • Mid-16th century: Spanish found silver in Mexico and Peru, left Caribbean behind.
  • 1640's: French, English, and Dutch went to Caribbean to establish plantations
    • Though lacking in precious metals, there were good agricultural conditions.
  • Tobacco becomes main cash crop.
  • Imported several million slaves due to planters lacking labor to operate estates.

• Hernán Cortès
  • Brought down Aztec empire 1519-1521
    • Went searching for gold
    • Had 450 soldiers
    • Started in Veracruz, went Tenochtitlan
    • Seized the emperor, Motecuzoma II who died in 1520
    • Cortès seized Tenochtitlan and starved the city into surrendering
    • Weaponry, Doña Marina, disease, and native allies all helped in this overtaking
• Epidemic Diseas
  • Smallpox raged through Tenochtitlan during the seige
    • Killed at least 10K
• Fransisco Pizarro
  • Brought down Inca empire 1530-1533
    • Set out in 1530, with 180 soldiers (later 600)
    • Arrived in Peru in 1530
    • Called a conference of all the Incan rulers, killed most of them but Athualpa
      • Killed him after he gathered mass amounts of gold for Pizarro
      • Strangled, decapitated
    • Stole gold and silver from everything, even melted statues and stole from deceased Inca rulers
    • Many Inca's didn't rebel to Pizarro rule
  • 1540 Spanish had securely made themselves prominent rulers in Peru

• Spanish Colonial Administration
  • 2 centers of authority in new word; Mexico (New Spain) and Peru (New Castile)
    • Governed by a viceroy
    • 1535 Capitol of Lima for Peru
  • Viceroy
    • King's representative in America
    • Much power
    • "Audiencias"- college educated lawyers to check power of Viceroy for king
    • Heard peoples thoughts of viceroys' decisions and could address concerns directly to Spanish king
    • Would have reviews, bad reviews meant punishment for viceroy
    • Local towns usually came under rule of audiencias

• New Cities
  • Spanish rule in Americas led to establishment of cities in the viceroyalties
  • Territory expanded under Spanish imperial authority
    • Network of bureaucratic control built and based in new cities
• Portuguese Brazil
  • Portugal gained Brazil in the Treaty of Tordesillas-signed in 1494 by Spain and Portugal
  • Portuguese forces established an imperial prescence in Brazil while Spain built empire in Mexico and Peru
  • Portuguese king granted land to nobles for development and colonization
    • Governor appointed to oversee and implement royal policy
  • Sugar plantations established by mid-16th century
    • Portuguese interest in Brazil rose dramatically
• Colonial American Society
  • American cities of Iberian empires centered around European-style society
    • Churches and cathedrals
    • Spanish and Portuguese languages of government, business, society
  • Indigenous life persisted in rural areas
    • Some Spanish and Portuguese colonists came and adapted to their societies
    • Indigenous languages of Latin America still used today
  • New world seen as land to exploit rather than settle and colonize
  • Many Spanish and Portuguese migrants settled Americas from 1500-1800
    • Helped establish a new world in the western hemisphere

• Foundation of Colonies
  • France and England came seeking fur, fish, and trade routes
  • Permanent colonies on North American mainland began early 17th century
  • French founded Port Royal (Nova Scotia) and Quebec
    • Settled in eastern Canada, near St. Lawrence, Ohio, and Mississippi Rivers, and south to Gulf of Mexico
  • English: Jamestown and Massachusetts Bay Colony
    • Colonized east coast of present-day U.S.
  • Dutch built New Amsterdam, seized by England and became New York
  • Settlers relied on provisions sent from Europe
    • Supply ships sometimes didn't arrive and food shortages occurred
    • Indigenous people then provided food or settlers would eat dead humans
• Colonial Government differed from Iberian territories
  • Private investors controlled colonies with little royal backing
  • Settlers had more control over their colony's affairs
  • English colonies subject to royal authority, but also institutions of self-government

• Relations with Indigenous Peoples in the americas differed from the in Iberia
• They did not find large empires but smaller states of hunter-gatherer societies
• Europeans cut down forested area's and then ended up excluding the indigenous people who migrated their.
• European settlers made legal deals with indigenous people, justifying the taking of land that they were making good use of the land by farming it
• Settler's often fought with native people's in not all out war but in gorilla attacks that would cause mass death in the area's that were attacked.
• In 1622 for instance in an attack by native people, and 1/3 of the English settlers, which prompted a retaliation attack.
• After disease infected the area and attacks continued on the native people, their population went from up to 10 million to only 600 thousand by 1800.